April 23, 2024

Throwback Thursday

By Information compiled

The Creston Panther Marching Band performed its field show "Imagination in Color" during an October 2015 competition at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines. The band placed sixth in the morning competition and ninth in the afternoon. (CNA file)

Today is Oct. 15, the 289th day of the year. There are 77 days left in 2020. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (Oct. 12-16) in history.

5 years ago

At their final weekend stop before traveling to the 2015 state contest, the Creston Panther Marching Band took sixth and ninth at ValleyFest in West Des Moines. The band’s spectacular morning performance placed them only .6 points behind the fifth-place team. There were 10 class 3A bands competing alongside them before they went to Glenwood to compete for their 27th consecutive Division I state rating.

An 8,000-square-foot dental office was built on Sumner Avenue to house family dentists Dr. Dave Buck, Dr. Todd Scott, Dr. Michael Buck and their staff, moving from their previous location on Lucas St. Dr. Todd Scott, a graduate of University of Missouri-Kansas City, has been a dentist in Creston since 1995, Dr. Dave Buck, a graduate of University of Iowa College of Dentistry was in Creston since 1982, and his son Dr. Michael Buck graduated from the same institution in 2011 and has been a dentist here since 2013.

15 years ago

Creston Mayor Mike Tamerius and Chamber of Commerce executive Ellen Gerharz broke ground for construction of the 41-room Supertel Inn and Conference Center, which is now located at the intersection of Laurel and Taylor streets. At the time it was estimated to cost between $2.3 and $2.6 million to construct.

Creston cross country runner Scott Vicker became the first-ever conference champion from Creston High School at the Hawkeye 10 Conference Meet in Atlantic. Karla Fisher and Dana Miller earned medals for their performances in the girls race. Both the boys and girls teams placed 8th overall.

Members of the Iowa State Savings Bank Employment Team (BEAT) Linda Linch, Erin Kiley, Adam Snodgrass and Emily Ford helped raise $500 for Union County Habitat for Humanity. Mike Lang, then chairman of Union County Habitat for Humanity, accepted the donation that would go towards completing its second house in Creston.

Sharon Snodgrass, elementary principal and curriculum coordinator for Creston School District, was awarded the “Excellence in Education” award at the annual Youth Plus banquet at SWCC. The award honors outstanding effort in enhancing and improving the educational advancement of all Union County citizens. Others recognized were Joy Brown, Arlene Madison, Lesa Downing, Leslie Tyler, Shirley Wright, Peg Eblen, Bob Arnold and Sharon Irelan. The groups YACC and YEAH were also highlighted.

25 years ago

Six community residents were named finalists for the first-ever Creston Citizen of the Year award: Jack Davis, owner of M&M Motors; Ralph Edwards, retired Ford executive; Darlene Loudon, Boosters leader; Chris Mansour, public health nurse; Mike Wolfe, Wolfe’s Jewelry owner and Galen Zumbach, CHS FFA instructor. Arvid Huisman, the CNA publisher at the time, brought the idea to the Chamber board “to honor the people who are positive and work hard for Creston.”

A local rock ‘n’ roll band was selected for a compilation disc to be released later in the year by a recording producer in Des Moines. The band, “Inbred,” with members Jerry Spargur and June Hirose of Creston, hoped this would lead to being signed to a major label company. Another Creston rock band, “Hooker’s Farm,” had also released two CDs to date. The CDs were being sold at Best Buy and played on Des Moines radio stations.

50 years ago

The Yates family of Thayer, who just a week prior saw their farm house and all their belongings destroyed by fire, were overwhelmed by the gathering of love and support from several neighbors and friends, coming as far as Creston to help. Neighbors and locals by the score supplied them with food, clothing, kitchen utensils, furnishings, as well as checks — just everything they needed to get started again. Mr. Yates, a bus driver for the East Union school district exclaimed “we’re just overwhelmed!”

In an AP story out of New York, an armed gang of robbers broke into the second floor apartment suite of film star Sophia Loren, making off with over $600,000 worth of her jewelry. Miss Loren described the lead gang member as “having a big moustache” and repeating over and over “give me the big stuff!”

George Cochran, who took part in the Creston News Advertiser’s “Major Hoople” football score prediction contest, submitted the 1970’s first perfect score sheet. Even the 20-14 score he predicted for the Iowa win over Wisconsin was eerily close, as the final score of that game was 24-14.

Behind-the-scenes action ended a controversial case of whether Iowa high school boys could be allowed to wear long hair to class. The Iowa Civil Liberties Union sought a temporary injunction against several school districts who were trying to enforce a long-hair rule against the students. Later after a hearing, the districts in question decided, in writing, not to enforce the rule.

Now playing at the Strand, for Wednesday, Oct. 14, 1970: The “Out-Of-Towners” (A Neil Simon story) starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Owens, with the tagline “When they take you for an out-of-towner, they really take you!”